In a time the employees are hoping to get the retirement age hiked to 62, roumors are heard that the Narendra Modi government is planning to reduce the retirement age of central government employees from the present 60 to 58. The move is aimed in curbing the relentless increase in the Centre’s non-Plan spending and ease the way for infusion of more young blood and professionalism into the country’s largely moribund bureaucracy,

The move that comes at a time when the Seventh Pay Commission is mulling another sharp boost to the pay structure of the Centre’s 5-million-strong workforce is also aimed at creating the requisite space for lateral entry of technically qualified professionals into the government, official sources quoted.

It was actually the previous NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee that raised it from 58 to 60 years. The Manmohan Singh led government had reportedly considered enhancing the retirement age further to 62 just before the general elections, but dropped the move.